In the latest in a string of burglaries on campus, a University of Minnesota employeeâÄôs cellphone, wallet and department keys were stolen from her office in the Social Sciences Building on Friday afternoon.

Laura Lechner, who works for the Center for Genocide and Holocaust Studies, said she and a coworker were talking in a nearby office when the theft occurred. She heard her cellphone ring and suddenly stop, but ignored it.

She returned to her office after about 15 minutes and noticed her phone was missing. Then she noticed that her wallet and set of keys to different offices in the center were gone as well.

âÄúI knew right away someone had [taken] it,âÄù she said.

Since the theft, the locks on the doors were changed.

Lechner said that her credit card was used at a gas station near campus, and that the station believes it has video footage of the person who used her card.

She said she still feels uncomfortable about what happened.

âÄú[It] makes me feel a little less safe about going to work,âÄù she said. âÄúI was surprised there was no memo âĦ there was no notification of suspicions of people committing crimes.âÄù

In a previous incident at the Social Sciences Building, a door was found pried open the night of Oct. 2.

University police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner said though there was a trend of burglaries during the month of September, the trend has slowed. He said he believes this burglary is unrelated to the string of burglaries on campus last month.

U Garden Chinese Burglarized

The U Garden Chinese Restaurant on University Avenue was burglarized overnight Sunday. 

Tech Ung, the restaurantâÄôs co-owner, left the restaurant at 2 a.m. Sunday and was taking a nap at home when his cellphone alerted him that the alarm in his restaurant had been triggered.

Ung said he then called the police. A laptop and $310 were stolen, he said.

Sgt. Steve McCarty of the Minneapolis Police Department said that an investigation is ongoing.